Cancer Danger From Dry Cleaning?

Tracy Smith Explores Possible Risk Of Commonly Used Chemical Called "PERC"

(CBS)  Americans spent more than $7 billion on dry cleaning last year, but cleaning your clothes may affect more than your wallet.

As Early Show national correspondent Tracy Smith points out, there's nothing dry about dry cleaning at all. Clothes are actually washed, in a solvent, one the federal Environmental Protection Agency calls it a possible-to-probable carcinogen, and you could be breathing it in, without even knowing it.

That was what happened with Mori Mickelson and her husband, Danny O'Brien.

The more they stayed inside their New York City apartment, the sicker they got.

"I would get dizzy, I would get headaches, just feel nauseous," Mickelson told Smith.

"I couldn't focus. Basically, my mind was floating away on me," O'Brien says.

It turned out, Smith reports, that the air in their apartment was contaminated with a toxic solvent leaking from the dry cleaner downstairs.

It's called perchloroethylene, or PERC, and it's used by three out of four dry cleaners nationwide.

Judith Schreiber, Ph.D., the chief scientist of environmental protection for the New York Attorney General's Office, says she "would classify PERC as a neurotoxin."

Schreiber says dry cleaners love PERC because it washes delicate fabrics without shrinking them or causing fading.

But, too often, PERC vapors can leak into nearby residences and offices, and Schreiber says long-term exposure can cause serious harm.

"You're at risk for neurological effects, liver and kidney illness, and increased cancer risk," she says.

The World Health Organization says PERC is a "probable human carcinogen."

The EPA classifies it as somewhere between a "possible" and "probable" human carcinogen, though at high dosages and over a long period of time. The agency doesn't say brief exposure to PERC, or long-term exposure to very low levels of the chemical will cause cancer. But the EPA admits studies of the carcinogenic effects of PERC in the general population don't exist. The EPA is currently doing a "risk assessment" of PERC, evaluating all research into its potential health effects, and plans to release its findings in about two years.

According to the EPA's Web site, "Breathing PERC for short periods of time can adversely affect the human nervous system. Effects range from dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and sweating, to incoordination and unconsciousness. Contact with PERC vapor irritates the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. These effects are not likely to occur at levels of PERC that are normally found in the environment. Breathing PERC over longer periods of time can cause liver and kidney damage in humans. Workers repeatedly exposed to large amounts of PERC in air can also experience memory loss and confusion. Laboratory studies show that PERC causes kidney and liver damage and cancer in animals exposed repeatedly by inhalation and by mouth. Repeat exposure to large amounts of PERC in air may likewise cause cancer in humans."

You may have gotten a whiff of PERC's strong, fresh scent at your cleaners but, once PERC evaporates into the air, you can't always smell it.

Mickelson had no idea her home was so contaminated until, one day, she literally collapsed from the fumes, and was rushed to the hospital.

"The city Department of Health did tests on us and our neighbors, and it was in our breath and our urine and in my breast milk and my neighbor's breast milk; it was basically everywhere," she says.

Even wearing dry cleaned clothes may put you at risk, Smith observes.

In the first study of its kind, Consumer Reports magazine measured PERC emissions from freshly dry-cleaned blazers and the results, Smith says, were "startling."

The magazine's Jean Halloran says, "We found that there was a small, but definitely increased risk of cancer from wearing freshly dry-cleaned clothes once or twice a week."

The industry calls that junk science.

"When handled properly, PERC is "extremely safe," says Nora Nealis, who runs the National Cleaners Association."

She says studies of workers at dry cleaners have found no increased risk of cancer, even after years of PERC exposure.

"I have friends and neighbors and family members who are in the dry cleaning industry," Nealis adds, "and I have no compunction whatsoever about their health or safety."

But some regulators aren't buying that.

Last month, California became the first state in the nation to ban PERC, calling it a public health threat. They ordered it phased out at dry cleaners over the next 15 years.

Officials there want them to use environmentally-safer methods such as "wet cleaning," which washes dry clean-only garments using special soap, and plain old water.

"Wet cleaning is great for casual wear, your khakis, your sweaters, your cotton man-tailored shirts," Nealis notes.

But it's not so good for structured garments.

Nealis showed Smith a designer jacket that wet cleaning caused to shrink, and left without what Nealis calls "that nice, finished, like-new look that you went to the cleaners for."

Some dry cleaners call their methods "organic." But that may not be safer than using perc because, the dry cleaners trade group says, there's very little regulation of what "organic" means in their business. All it means for sure is that the cleaning methods include the use of carbon, which could apply to virtually all methods of cleaning.

Another option? Stop buying clothes that require dry cleaning. That's what Mickelson did. She told Smith she now owns only one item, pair of pants, that is dry clean-only.

Though the dry cleaner beneath Mickelson's apartment no longer uses a PERC machine, she still worries about her family's exposure, telling Smith she worries "all the time" about its long-term effects, adding, "When one of us gets sick, I think, could this be something related to PERC? My greatest fear is that one of us is going to get cancer from it."

Experts say, if you live or work in a building that has a PERC dry cleaner, you may want to have your local health department check the level of PERC in the air.

And if your clothes come back from the cleaners smelling like chemicals, it could be a sign they have too much PERC on them, and you should take them back and have them redone.

Experts say unwrapping your dry cleaned clothes when you get home and airing them out could help, but if you take the plastic bag off inside your house, the PERC just goes into the air, where it can last up to a week. It's better to air dry cleaning out in an open garage or outside.

Mickelson says she airs out her dry cleaned pants by taking them for a walk around the block before bringing them home!

[sheldonbray1]

Consumers are speaking. Most cleaners are not listening. You can dryclean clothes without perc. There are cleaners already doing it all over.


Find a safe cleaner in your area www.FindCO2.com

[slsnikki]

I am customer of H2Only Cleaners and I have to say they are much better at what they do than the previous cleaners I used to use. My clothes don't smell, they seem softer, and they don't get stretched out of proportion or shrunken. I would reccommend this type of cleaning any day over the old smelly "perk" cleaners. It is also enviromentally safe so what could be better!!! Try it...You'll be pleasently surprised!!!

[sheldonbray1]

Janet,

I prefer not to treat my Brioni suits the same way I treat gap pants. For the specialized care I give certian labels I have different rates. You might just clean them together, my clients don't want thier Prada sharing a wash cycle with Dockers. CO2 cleans these items without a problem, it is the special care before and after cleaning that deserves an extra charge.

Wetcleaning Cashmere. I gues you just need to gather up your cashmere garments and come to Nashville. Wetcleaning leaves the wool soft and with an increased hand. Most importantly they have no odor like perc. I don't care what perc machine you have, or how clean your solvent is some garments always stink.

I don't understand why so many cleaners defend perc. Perc is not needed to do our job. You can clean clothes without it, with better results. Your reluctantance to plan for change will only fuel these attacks against the industry, That's right the entire insdustry. This story didn't say stop using a perc cleaner, and find an alternative cleaner. It said don't buy dryclean clothes. Besides perc is too aggressive of a cleaner, hence problems with beads, buttons, trims & glues. Most alternatives are a better match for our type cleaning. They get the clothes clean without damaging delicate items.

Janet feel free to call me for info on Wetcleaning or CO2 cleaning. 615-394-1008

[sheldonbray1]

Janet,

I prefer not to treat my Brioni suits the same way I treat gap pants. For the specialized care I give certian labels I have different rates. You might just clean them together, my clients don't want thier Prada sharing a wash cycle with Dockers. CO2 cleans these items without a problem, it is the special care before and after cleaning that deserves an extra charge.

Wetcleaning Cashmere. I gues you just need to gather up your cashmere garments and come to Nashville. Wetcleaning leaves the wool soft and with an increased hand. Most importantly they have no odor like perc. I don't care what perc machine you have, or how clean your solvent is some garments always stink.

I don't understand why so many cleaners defend perc. Perc is not needed to do our job. You can clean clothes without it, with better results. Your reluctantance to plan for change will only fuel these attacks against the industry, That's right the entire insdustry. This story didn't say stop using a perc cleaner, and find an alternative cleaner. It said don't buy dryclean clothes. Besides perc is too aggressive of a cleaner, hence problems with beads, buttons, trims & glues. Most alternatives are a better match for our type cleaning. They get the clothes clean without damaging delicate items.

Janet feel free to call me for info on Wetcleaning or CO2 cleaning. 615-394-1008

[h2onlycleanr]

Janet,

He is referring to the fact that wet cleaning does not deplete the natural lanolin from wools. Harsh degreasers, perc et. al., do this. Repeated cleanings have a negative effect on the feel (and likely the strength/durability) of wools as this lanolin is removed. It is especially evident with sofetr wools like merino, cashmere, etc.

Quantitatively, "better" is a difficult point to make. Qualitatively, there is a positive and noticeable improvement of wet cleaned cashmere over dry cleaned cashmere.

[janet2u]

Sheldon: Why the extremely steep extra charge for designer brand garments (+20 to 200 percent)? I can only discern there must have been %u201Cquite a lot of problems or risk%u201D handling these garments using a CO2 system?

In asking this, I will tell you we handle plenty of the designer brands you have listed on your website - as well as photo-shoot garments for Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair, Gap, Banana Republic, clothing for many movie shoots, and album cover shoots etc, without problem (using a first- classed perc system). But%u2026we certainly do not add such an extra high charge as quoted by you, because we can process these garments with utmost confidence, and have for many, many years.

Exactly what does %u201C5 times%u201D better mean with your reference to %u201CCashmere actually feel 5 times better after being professionally wet cleaned.%u201D With all due respect, that SOUNDS like a lame sales pitch, or watching too many TV commercials.

So what%u2019s up with this?

[janet2u]

Remember folks - water only!
Slow-acting poisons and toxic chemicals found in personal care products, deodorants containing aluminum (Alzheimer's disease), shampoos containing solvents (liver toxicity), toothpaste containing non-organic fluoride (osteoporosis), mouthwash with aspartame (brain tumors) or saccharin (cancer), and a dab of perfume or cologne containing highly toxic cancer-causing chemicals. In a laboratory analysis, one popular perfume was found to contain more than forty chemicals classified as hazardous to the liver. Laundry room is also highly toxic, containing the same chemical perfumes in both the laundry detergent and especially the dryer sheets. Dryer sheets coat all your clothes with a layer of toxic chemicals. When you wear those clothes, your body moisture causes those chemicals to come into contact with your skin and be absorbed directly into your bloodstream. The kitchen is also highly toxic: consumers purchase antibacterial soap products made with a potent nerve chemical similar to agent orange - that's what kills the bacteria. They also use automatic dishwashing detergent containing yet more chemicals and toxic fragrance compounds that coat the plates, glasses and silverware with a thin layer of cancer-causing chemicals. Subsequently, families then eat off those dishes and ingest the chemicals. In the yard, people use horrific quantities of "organic" pesticides and herbicides with seemingly no care whatsoever about the health consequences of doing so.

[janet2u]

Instead of dry cleaners who have posted here acting like %u201Cposter children%u201D for their types of dry cleaning, I have the following suggestions:
In the interest of TRUE SAFETY, do not use ANY personal care products, laundry detergent, dish washing soap, or personal care soap. USE WATER ONLY %u2013 ON EVERYTHING. (Better test it first, though.) Grow your own food, protecting it from errant airborne chemicals. Grow your own animals %u2013 feed your animals only with food you have grown yourself. When you buy organic clothing be advised the soil the cotton has been grown in has been tested for the last three years-who knows what happened to the soil before that? But never mind. Don%u2019t live in a house. You don%u2019t know what has gone into those materials. And don%u2019t drive a vehicle, don%u2019t even use a boat unless you can row it yourself. Just walk. Even bicycles contain toxins.

[janet2u]

Part 2: "Last year ECSA carried out an exercise to determine the effects of this directive in the EU on perc use and emissions from dry-cleaning. The results demonstrate that even if the number of perc dry-cleaners remained unchanged, emissions would be reduced significantly through use of modern equipment-90 percent reduction of emissions by 2007 giving a vast improvement in the efficiency of cleaning. In the most advanced modern machines 160kg of clothes can be cleaned using only = to 1 litre of perc. This equates to around 250 garments or around 10 loads. %u201CWe believe that improvements in the equipment available for the dry-cleaning industry have been so significant that we can be assured that perc has a dominant position in the dry-cleaning industry. When used responsibly under the right technical conditions, perc is the best solvent for dry-cleaning. Emission reduction measures already available will ensure that the environment and user health are completely protected.%u201D

[janet2u]

In the interest of Objectivity - more quotes from internet resources Part 1: "At the International Dry Cleaning Convention in London in August 2002, Dr Mike Walker, Chairman of the General Technical Working Group of ECSA, made a presentation entitled "Dry-cleaning in Perc - Why Not?" Here is a summary of his speech.
Worldwide, %u201Cperc%u201Dremains the dominant solvent used for dry-cleaning. It is a well-studied and understood solvent with excellent performance providing an all-purpose cleaning system. From a customer's point of view, it delivers exactly what is wanted: the clothes are clean again.The most available alternative solvents are hydrocarbons. Other alternatives such as carbon dioxide, glycol ethers or silicones have not fulfilled their initial promises and developments are needed before the market becomes confident. In recent years perc dry-cleaning systems have undergone major improvements. Total enclosure of dry-cleaning machines and internal recycling of solvent allows use of perc with negligible emissions. Perc has physical properties that make these operations feasible. Dry-cleaning is within the scope of the EU Solvent Emissions Directive and complete compliance with this is required by 2007. "

[janet2u]

Last comment a direct quote from a "Green Guide" internet site

[janet2u]

%u201CUnfortunately, unlike wet cleaning, the detergents used in CO2 cleaning do contain some volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and CO2 cleaning systems costs are almost double that of wet cleaning systems making them a less viable financial alternative for small businesses. Other dry cleaning alternatives, including hydrocarbon solvents and siloxane, appeal significantly to dry cleaners as similar in process and cost to perc. These solvents are labeled as greener options because they are recognized as less toxic than perc, however, both the EPA and the Coalition for Clean Air have determined that these solvents can't be labeled safe for health or the environment until considerably more testing is done. Hydrocarbon solvents, such as DF2000 may be toxic or contain VOCs, and the EPA has concern over the high flammability of these petroleum-based chemicals. Siloxane solvents such as GreenEarth are currently manufactured using chlorine, and may release dioxin emissions. As with hydrocarbon solvents, siloxane is extremely flammable. EPA notes that siloxane may be a carcinogen. %u201CGreen cleaning%u201D is often a term referring to a 100% wet cleaning method, although some cleaners use these labels even though they may use siloxane and hydrocarbon alternatives. A 2003 Consumer Reports article was less impressed with wet cleaning methods that "left the lamb%u2019s wool jacket severely pilled" and shrank a linen blend skirt "from a size 14 to about a size 10.%u201D

[sheldonbray1]

California has put a ban on perc. No new perc machines can be installed after this year.

The state of California will provide cleaners grant money to change to CO2 or wetcleaning. These are the methods the state officials found to be the safest. They originally included Siloxanes (Green Earth) , but after review dropped it from their recommended technology.

Find a CO2 or wetcleaner near you www.FindCO2.com

[tinybubbles3]

we are taking a green house gas and capturing it before it can harm the ozone layer and using as a cleaning fluid one of the best cleaning fluids known to man the problem is, is that is made by mother nature and not dow chemical or G.E so those of using this technology do not have the resources availabe to us to get in front of the public and help to change this industry that is driven by these chemical giants.for more information on co2 clenaing visit www.blueskycleaners.com

[janet2u]

Remember, no matter what type of solvent a dry cleaner uses, there are absolutely no excuses for a product that is less than impeccable, (smelling fresh, clean and odorless and restored to as a superior condition as is possible.) And Every %u201CBentley%u201D type of dry cleaning unit manufactured today is fully equipped to deliver optimum safety, efficiency and results. That, my friends, is a guarantee.

NO DRY CLEANER SHOULD BE USING ANYTHING LESS!!

Every dry cleaner should also have the ability to wet clean at least 50 to 60% of the garments brought to them, without problem.

The operator should, at a minimum, be fully capable of maintaining the dry cleaning unit daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annually and annually to ensure optimum efficiency, optimum safety, and optimum care of the environment and a client%u2019s wardrobe.

Anything less, is completely unacceptable.

So no matter what type of solvent is in use (and they all have their pros and cons), there simply are no excuses. If you are not a master of this trade, you have no business being in the dry cleaning business. Period!

[h2onlycleanr]

Wet Cleaning does work when properly done. It is easy to learn, poses no issues with landlords, co-located residences, the environment, customers' clothes, and most importantly, workers' and customers' health. Get right to the issue: which is more critical, clothing or health? I don't think anyone can make an argument here for the clothing.

My wife and I have operated a 100% wet cleaning operation for three years. We may, in fact, now be the largest in the US now with 5 locations. You do not achieve this type of growth with a process that was reported, in this news piece, to ruin clothes. The NCA spokes-woman came across a lobbyist protecting the interests of her membership. Of course, we'll not be joining to her organization as she clearly would not properly speak for us as wet cleaners.

In our area several dry cleaners have left the industry due to landlords opting out of leases because of site contamination. This bodes well for open minded dry cleaners willing to consider new technologies or those looking for new business opportunities. More consumers will discover wet cleaning. Savvy dry cleaners will too.

[janet2u]

Even birth control prescription drugs metabolized by the female body, then flushed down the toilet and showing up in drinking water has been known to cause low sperm count.

[janet2u]

RE: Schizophrenia and low sperm production: Many human genes exist as polymorphism. Some individuals appear to have an increased susceptibility to such environmental influences compared to others, who seem to escape unscathed. The most accepted explanation is that of genetic susceptibility. Hydrocarbon exposure, to a greater or lesser degree, is an unavoidable consequence of life in a modern industrialized society: these chemicals are found in car exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, volatile fuels such as petrol, and some aerosols, to name but a few sources. Because evidence for the toxic nature of these compounds continues to accumulate, many countries have taken measures to reduce overall hydrocarbon exposure, e.g. reducing car exhaust fumes and emissions from factories and power stations, as well as setting %u2018safe%u2019 levels of exposure at the workplace. It is also known that radiation exposure, ionizing rays, cosmic rays, x-rays, radiographs, microwaves, ultrasound, electromagnetic fields, chemical exposure, endocrine disruptors, DDT, diethylstilbestrol, DES, heavy metals, dioxins,even prescription drugs impair the human body. So tell us something we don't know.

[juniper12]

There is a new study that found that children whose parents were dry cleaners who used PERC, tetracloroethylene were 340 X more likely to developed schizophrenia than children in the rest of the population studied. This chemical might cause damage to the sperm making cells or in some other way damage the the developing brains of children of drycleaners.
Schizophr Res. 2007 Feb;90(1-3):251-4. Epub 2006 Nov 17. Links
Tetrachloroethylene exposure and risk of schizophrenia: Offspring of dry cleaners in a population birth cohort, preliminary findings.

[sheldonbray1]

CO2 cleaning is not a class IIIA solvent. It is a gas, that under 800 psi turns to liquid, and can then clean clothes. The very first detergent contained hydrocarbon. The detergents used today are safe.

Proper wetcleaning doesn't use amyl acetate, tannic acid, hydrofluoric acid as a rust remover, glycol as a softener as stated in an eailer post. These are stain removal agents that are used by hand and removed from the garment prior to wetcleaning. These solutions are then disposed of as hazardous waste.

Professional wetcleaning is safe for wool, cashmere, acetate & silk. Wool & Cashmere actually feel 5 times better after being professionally wetcleaned. The problem is some cleaners don't buy the expensive wetcleaning equipment and do it in a regular washer. Then the is problems. Like in the story, you can see they idea of wetcleaning was a home washer, and you saw the lady put the jacket on with sleeves 6 inches short. THAT IS NOT WETCLEANING.

CO2 & Wetcleaning will produce the results demanding consumers require.

To find it in your area www.FindCO2.com